Process of concentrating ores.



No- 807,502. PA'FENI'ED DEC. 19, 1905. A. SGHWARZ.

PROCESS OF CONUENTRATING ORBS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 27, 1904.

WITNESSES: INVQVTOR A0 imam/Er UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFF-m ALFRED sc-HwARZ, or NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR To THE soHWARZ oRE TREATING COMPANY, or PHCENIX, ARIZONA TERRITORY, A ooR- PORATION or ARIZONA TERRITORY.

PROCESS OF CONCENTRATING- ORESi Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1905.

Application filed May 2'7, 1904. Serial No. 210,137.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED SoHWARZ, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Concentrating Ores, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a process of separating the metallic from the earthy constituents of ore, and particularly to that class of concentrating processes which depend upon the selective action of oils and fatty matters.

Heretofore the metallic particles, sulfids, tellurids, and the like have been separated from the earthy or rocky constituents of ores by the selective action of a heavy oil, such as is obtained from petroleum after the removal of some of the lighter oils, the pulverized ore having previously been mixed with sufiicient water to form a thin freely-flowing pulp. The oil in such method exercises the property of attaching'itself to and buoying up the metallic constituents of the ore that are suspended in the pulp; but it has little or no effect upon the earthy constituents of the ore. That method of concentration, however, has its limitation and in practice cannot successfully separate the values beyond a certain percentage.

In order to obtain an increase of the values in the concentrate, my invention contemplates the employment as a selective agent a compound of a resinous hydrocarbon, as resin,

pitch, or asphaltum, and a fat or oil, either animal, mineral, or vegetable, or a fatty matter which is solid at normal temperatures, as paraffin, stearin, or palmitin.

In carrying out my invention I proceed as follows: Referring particularly to the first of the compounds, I make a mixture of any fat or oil, either mineral, vegetable, or animal, and a resinous hydrocarbon, as resin, pitch, or asphaltum, the mixture being efi'ected by dis solving the resinous hydrocarbon in the oil or fat, heat being employed, if necessary, depending upon the nature of the particular ingredients of the compound to effect an admixture in a liquid condition. As a specific example, I may take a mineral oil, as crude petroleum or any of its products, to which is added a resinous hydrocarbon, as any of the above, the proportion depending upon the character of the ore treated. Thus I have found that with a copper-sulfid ore about twenty percent, by weight, of the resinous hydrocarbon produces good results. With a free-gold ore about sixty per cent. is required. I do not, however, limit myself to these proportions, as obviously they may be varied to suit the particular ore treated.

The ore to be concentrated is crushed and screened to a convenient size for working and then mixed with the compound of resinous hydrocarbon and oil or fat, the selective agent being added in suflicient quantity to thoroughly saturate the ore and to make a thick pasty mass; The mixture may be effected in any suitable vessel provided with an agitator, the agitation being continued for a sufiicient length of time to bring the selective agent into intimate contact with all portions of the ore. When that stage shall have been reached, water, preferably under pressure, is injected into the mass by suitably-arranged pipes and the agitation continued until the Water is thoroughly distributed throughout the entire mass. The mass is then allowed to subside, when a separation takes place. The metallic constituents ad hering to and being entrapped in the resinous and oil or fat compound will be buoyed up thereby and rise to the top, while the earthy or rocky constituents, being unaffected by the selective agent, will settle to the bottom of the vessel. Sufficient water may be added to float off the compound and the entrapped metallic constituents over the top of the vessel into a centrifugal drum, in which the latter may be separated from the com pound in a well-known manner, or the compound, with the entrapped metallic constituents, may be separated from the water carrying the tailings in any other manner and subjected to treatment in a centrifugal drum, filter-press, or other machine for the separation of the values.

Should the specific gravity of the compound be greater than water, then the compound, with the entrapped constituents, will settle in the bottom of the vessel and may be separated from the water in any desired manner for subsequent treatment for the separation of the values. Also should the nature of the ingredients of the compound require heat to maintain the compound in a liquid condition the mixture with the ore may beeifected in a steam-jacketed or other suitably-heated vessel.

My invention also contemplates the employment of a compound of any of the above resin= ous hydrocarbons with a fatty matter which is solid at normal temperatures,.as parafiin, stearin, or palmitin. In such case I melt the ingredients separately and efiect a mixture, or the ingredients may be placed together in any suitable vessel and melted together. The melted compound is then mixed with the pulverized ore in substantially the same manner as before described, the operation being conducted in a steam-jacketed or other suitablyheated vessel in order to maintain the melted compound in a liquid condition. After agitating for a sufficient length of time or until the melted compound is brought into intimate contact with all portions of the ore the source of heat is removed and cold water injected into the mass and the agitation continued, if desired, until the compound solidifies, as it does in a granulated condition, the pieces varying in size up to about that of a walnut. The result of such procedure is to entrap the metallic constituents of the ore in the compound, and after the mass has subsided the water, with the tailings in the bottom of the vessel, may be drawn off. The solidified compound of fatty and resinous materials holding the metallic constituents of the ore may then be collected and subjected to any suitable treatment for the separation of the values. This separation may be effected by melting the compound, when the values, by reason of their specific gravity, will settle in the bottom of the vessel and may then be compressed and removed, or after the com pound has been liquefied it may in that condition be run into a centrifugal drum or filter-press to effect a separation of the values.

Of the fatty matters which may be used I prefer paraffin, it being understood that I so classify it in a popular and not a chemical sense, and I have found that a compound of eighty per cent. paraflin and twenty per cent. resin, pitch, or asphaltum when working with a copper-sulfid ore containing 3.33 per cent. copper gives a concentrate containing about 20.5 per cent. copper.

Instead of drawing off the water and tailings the entire contents of the vessel may be discharged over a screen 8 of such mesh as to retain the solidified material with the en trapped values and to allow the water and tailings to pass through.

In the concentration of ores by the selective action of a material as above described the action is facilitated and better results secured by the injection of a gaseous fluid-such as air, steam, or gas-into the mass. This may be done in any suitable manner-as, for example, by the means illustrated in the accom- 'panying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view, and Fig. 2 is a partial plan view.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a steam-jacketed vessel of any ceases suitable form and dimensions having the floor hinged at 2 and retained in its closed position by any convenient form of locking means 3. The floor 2 is perforated to receive a series of short tubes or nipples 4, opening into a chamber 5, formed by a wall 6, depending from said floor, said chamber being contracted at its lower end and adapted to receive a suitable connection by which gas, air, or steam may be supplied to the chamber 5 and thence through the nipples 4 to the vessel 1 and its contents, the nipples 4 being turned over at their upper ends to prevent clogging. Projecting through the lower side walls of the vessel 1 are nozzles 7, connected to pipes leading to sources of gas, air, steam, or water, suitable valves 8 controlling the supplies. If desired, the vessel 1 may be equipped with any suitable form of mechanical agitator 9.

The pulverized ore and the selective material may be mixed with each other in the vessel l, which in that case will be provided with any suitable form of mechanical agitator, or in a separate vessel and then transferred to the vessel 1. In either case a gas-such as carbon-dioxid gas, steam, or compressed airis injected into the mass through the nipples 4: or through the nozzles 7 by opening the appropriate valves. The effect of injection of gas, steam, or air is to thoroughly agitate the con tents of thevessel and to break up and subdivide the mass in a complete and thorough manner. Furthermore, it results in the selective material taking up an appreciable quantity of gas or air, giving a certain sponginess which increases its floating power. The admission of gas, air, or steam may be continued after the admission of water in order to facilitate the separation by bringing the water into contact with all portions of the mass. The values entrapped in the resinous and oil or fatty mixture may then be separated from the tailings by subsidence or in any other suitable manner, as above described.

Instead of injecting gases I may add the nec essary agents for the generation of gas in the mass of ore. The action of gas in such case may be aided by mechanical agitation.

In a companion application, Serial No. 225,370, filed September 21, 1904:, I have described a method of concentrating ores em ploying a normally solid hydrocarbon, the in vention of said application being restricted to the use of a bath of heated water to eflfect the separation of the adhesive agent with the entrapped values from the tailings.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The method of concentrating ores which consists in mixing with the pulverized ore an agent to which the metallic constituents will adhere consisting of a mixture of a normally non-liquid resinous hydrocarbon and a nonresinous hydrocarbon, then separating said adhesive agent with the entrapped values from the tailings and finally separating the values from said agent.

2. The method of concentrating ores which consists in mixing with the pulverized ore an agent to which the metallic constituents will adhere consisting of a mixture of a normally non-liquid resinous hydrocarbon and a nonresinous hydrocarbon, then separating by water the said agent with the entrapped values from the tailings and finally separating the values from said agent.

3. The method of concentrating ores which consists in mixing with the pulverized ore an agent to which the metallic constituents will adhere consisting of a melted mixture of a resinous hydrocarbon and a non-resinous hydrocarbon which is solid at normal temperatures, then separating said agent with the entrapped values from the tailings, and finally separating the values from said agent.

4. The method of concentrating ores which consists in mixing with the pulverized ore an agent to which the metallic constituents will adhere consisting of a melted mixture of a resinous hydrocarbon and a fatty matter which is solid at normal temperatures, then solidifying said agent and separating the same with the entrapped values from the tailings, and

finally separating the values from said agent.

5. The method of concentrating ores which consists in mixing with the pulverized ore an agent to which the metallic constituents will ings and finally separating the values from said agent.

6. The method of concentrating ores which consists in mixing with the pulverized ore an agent to which the metallic constituents will adhere consisting of a mixture of a resin and parafiin, then separating said agent with the entrapped values from the tailings and finally separating the values from said agent.

7 The method of concentrating ores which consists in mixing with the pulverized ore an agent to which the metallic constituents will adhere consisting of a mixture of a resin and paraflin, then subjecting the mass to a waterbath for the purpose of separating said agent with the entrapped values from the tailings, and finally separating the values from said agent.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ALFRED SCHWARZ.

Witnesses:

E. F. PORTER, CHARLES S. Joivns. 

